Welcome Back!

I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing fall break! It was nice to have some time off but I hope everyone is back and ready to have a great 2nd quarter. I know I am!

Last week in the library we read another of our AYRA nominees, "Shivers in the Fridge" by Fran Manushkin. The Shivers are a family that live in a refrigerator and the kids had a good time trying to figure out just who they were and what was happening to them during the story. The ending was a surprise to every class but it was fun hearing the kids' imaginative guesses before I revealed the end. Ask your child who the Shivers were!

Mr. Miller's class was kind enough to contribute their class book called "The Important Book" to our Student Published Library. I read their book aloud to them last week and I was really impressed with their illustrations and how they were able to say so much in just a few lines of text. Great job to Mr. Miller's class and thanks for sharing your work! Check out their book in the library or on Mr. Miller's class page.

Raffle

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, 3rd - 5th graders had the opportunity to win some small prizes. Children who turned in the names of two Hispanic people that had contributed something to the country or the world gained an entry into a raffle. One winner was drawn from each grade and the winners got to choose from the library treasure chest. Congratulations to Jordan Vella (5th), Ani Rodriguez (4th), and Kimberlee Hernandez (3rd) for being chosen for their grade!

A big thanks to all the children who participated. The people they submitted were posted on our Hispanic Heritage Bulletin board and it was nice to see the kids contributing to their own learning and sharing their knowledge with their fellow students. Great job everyone!

Book Fair

Last week in the library was all about the book fair. All the classes had an opportunity to walk through the fair during their library time before they checked out books. It was fun to see so many of the kids come back with their parents and make some great book selections. I was glad I had the opportunity to meet so many parents and I had some great conversations about books.

I wanted to extend my thanks to those families who purchased books and donated them to the library. Due to budget constraints, the proceeds from the book fair will be our only new books in the library this year so those donations are vital. If you're interested in making your own contribution, watch Notes Home for future donation opportunities!

I owe a big thanks to the PTO and all the wonderful parent volunteers who were crucial in making this book fair a success. I enjoyed getting to know everyone and having company in the library for a change! A special thanks to Jen Scofield, Jen Landis and Clifford the Big Red Dog for going above and beyond in all their efforts.

Have a fun and safe fall break and read lots of great books!

Banned Book Week

Last week we celebrated Banned Book Week and used the opportunity to talk to the kids about their responsibilities as free people who read freely. We discussed the efforts of a few to ban books such as Harry Potter, Captain Underpants, James and the Giant Peach, Charlotte's Web and many more. We discussed how most of these efforts are made out of a genuine concern for the welfare of children but that their parents are the only ones who can decide what books are appropriate for them. I had planned to read the 3rd - 5th graders "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss because it is a book that has been challenged by the lumber industry but the children were such active participants in our discussion that we never got to the book. Hopefully, they all left the library with an appreciation for their access to great books and a respect for the responsibilities they have to be critical readers.

K-2 classes heard "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" by William Steig. This is a book that has been challenged before but I didn't talk much about Banned Book Week with this younger group. I only mentioned how fortunate we were to have such great books to read. The children did a great job making predictions about the story and then sharing how they would've changed the story if they had been Sylvester. Ask your child to tell you what they would've wished for if they were facing Sylvester's problem.

A special thank you to Amy Martinez for loaning me her Sylvester Reading Buddy. The kids were surprised and delighted by his special trick and it added some fun to our story. Thanks, Amy!

Next week is Book Fair...See you then!